LA Rams: Cooper Kupp is playing for his next big contract in 2020

WR Cooper Kupp needs to have a big season for the LA Rams to earn his next big contract in 2021

The LA Rams have two big names playing in the final season of their rookie contracts. The first, of course, is cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who is almost certain to get a big deal in March 2021. The second may not be as obvious, as WR Cooper Kupp will need to have an excellent season to cash in the fruit of his labors.

As a recap, many were not happy with the LA Rams selection of Kupp in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Currently, a fifth-year extension has not been offered to him. As you know, the Rams salary cap space is razor-thin.

Is he deserving of returning? You bet!  Despite an ACL injury that benched him for half of the 2018 NFL season, he has ascended into one of the Rams’ most dangerous receivers. In just two and a half NFL seasons, he has caught 196 passes for 2,596 yards with 21 touchdowns.

That’s impressive enough through three seasons, let alone for a player who returned from a knee injury to lead his team. Kupp is averaging 13.2 yards per reception, and 865 yards and seven touchdowns per season, even though one was shaved in half. With the NFL emphasizing the passing game, have you wondered what the market value for Kupp might be in 2021?

Payday figures

NFL wide receivers have to be very special to earn their next big deal. Getting paid is not simply a matter of longevity in professional football. It’s a combination of talent, work ethic, coaching, and scheme. Each season, dozens of young rookie receivers flood the NFL, all of whom are looking to impact the game with their ability to catch the ball.

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The supply of players who can catch passes is very plentiful. However, game changers are highly valuable. Do the Rams consider Kupp to be a game-changer?

To ballpark what the LA Rams are looking at in terms of Kupp’s 2021 market value, let’s turn towards Spotrac.com. Spotrac.com calculates the market value of certain players. They look at comparable players and project a market value based on the other players. The market value of Kupp is $19.4 million per year or a four-year deal worth $77,471,084.

Of course, that is entirely dependant on certain factors. He will have to stay healthy and be very productive. In 2019, based upon the bell curve, a top receiver would have caught 94 passes for 1186 yards with 7 touchdowns. Kupp caught 94 passes for 1161 yards with 10 touchdowns. Sounds good, so far. In fact, he is already ahead of the curve and is getting better all the time.

Leading the NFL

His breakout season in 2019 helped to buoy an otherwise lackluster season from the team’s highest-paid offensive weapons. In fact, he was so good that he was recognized by Pro Football Focus as the second-ranked receiver in the NFL when targeted over the past two seasons. That is a huge accomplishment, as that span covers just 24 games, 16 of which were on a rehabbing knee.

LA Rams’ new offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell has inherited a very good receiver in Kupp. As such, you can bet that quarterback Jared Goff will get the ball to him early and often. And as the team uses receivers from the 2020 rookie class, O’Connell will force opposing defensive coordinators to cover the whole field. This will give Kupp room to stretch the coverage, locate soft spots in coverage, and make plays downfield.

The Rams have added some solid competition to the team’s receiving corps. Not only have the Rams drafted Florida’s standout receiver Van Jefferson, but the team signed five receivers as undrafted free agents. Two of the new rookies possess blinding speed and fell in the 2020 NFL Draft because they hailed from small schools and the draft class was incredibly deep this year. One such receiver, Syracuse Orange’s Trishton Jackson was one such player and helped contribute to the Rams 2020 UDFA class ranking to land among the NFL’s top-ten.

When things get back to normal, the contract negotiations for LA Rams and players will begin. It would be awesome to see Kupp have a huge season and get a new deal to remain with the LA Rams. Let’s see how things play out.